LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego women's volleyball earned another sweep—its fourth in a row—defeating CSUN, 25-15, 25-23, 25-22, on Saturday evening in LionTree Arena. The Tritons (17-9, 9-5 Big West) set a Division I program record with 19 team blocks.
Jasmine Saran recorded a career high 10 blocks (1 solo), while
Emily McDaniel finished with eight (4 solo) and four more Tritons finished with at least two.
Natalie Repetti led the efforts in the back row with 17 digs and a team-best two aces, while
Ava McInnes added eight digs.
UC San Diego had a balanced attack, with five Tritons recording at least four kills. McInnes led the way with nine kills, hitting .350, while
Sabire Karacaova added seven kills and two aces and Saran chipped in six kills.
Nevada Knowles and
Lauren Brooker split setting duties, tallying 17 and 12 assists respectively.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons came out red hot to start the contest, collecting seven early blocks and jumping out to a commanding 14-3 lead. The Matadors (5-20, 3-11 Big West) put together a mini 5-1 to cut into the lead, 15-8, but the Tritons remained in control. Karacaova closed out the set with back-to-back kills and UC San Diego took the opening frame, 25-15.
CSUN built an early 11-6 lead to begin set two, before the Tritons got another run going. UC San Diego outscored the Matadors, 9-2, to take the lead, 15-13, at the midway point. The Tritons created space at 20-16 before CSUN went on a 6-1 run to retake the lead late, 22-21. UC San Diego's block came up clutch once again as the Tritons closed out the set with a 4-1 run, including two blocks to win, 25-23. Both teams struggled offensively in the set, with UC San Diego hitting .045 as a team and CSUN slightly ahead at .079.
The Tritons carried the momentum into the final set, building an early 9-3 lead. A five-point scoring run for UC San Diego extended the lead, 14-5, midway through the frame. CSUN put up a five-point run of its own, but the Tritons responded once again, 5-0, to make it 19-10. UC San Diego looked to have the set solidly in hand at 23-16, but the Matadors continued to battle and outscored the Tritons 6-1 down the stretch to pull within two points, 24-22. However, UC San Diego would not be denied, taking the final frame 25-22 to secure its fourth consecutive sweep.
TRITON TIDBITS
- The Tritons set a Division I program record with 19.0 team blocks in the contest.
- UC San Diego extended a six-match winning streak, including five sweeps (four consecutive). The Tritons have won nine of their last 10 matches dating back to Oct. 6.
- Emily McDaniel leads the Big West in blocks per set (1.39) while Jasmine Saran ranks eighth (1.07).
- Jasmine Saran recorded a career high with 10 blocks (1 solo).
- UC San Diego held the advantage in blocks (19-6) and aces (6-2), while CSUN had the edge in kills (37-35), assists (35-31) and digs (54-43).
- With the win, UC San Diego moved to 6-10 in the all-time series (6-0 in D-I) with CSUN.
UP NEXT
The Tritons will face a tough road test, traveling to take on Cal Poly on Friday, Nov. 10 and facing off with Big West-leader UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, Nov. 11. Both matches are scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+ with live statistics available via UCSDTritons.com.
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of The Big West in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 84 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.
